Handle



March 2 y 1926.

1,575,928 A. H. BA1-Es HANDLE Filed June 6. 1921 2 sheets-sheet 1 Inverv'or AlberiL H Baies March 2;, 192e. @575,028

A. H. BATES HANDLE Filed June e. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 56 inver/#0r Patented Mar. 2,- 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT H. BATES, OF ELGIN, IILINLOISyASSIGNOR, BY HESNE ASSIGNHENTS, TO THE HOOVER COMPANY, F NORTH CANTON, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

HANDLE.

Application led June 8, 1921. Serial No. 47155333.V

To all whom t may eminem.'

Be it known th a citizen of the United States, residing at' in the county of Kane and State of have invented certain new and use- Elgin, iiiinois,

at I, ALBERT 'I-I. BA'rEs,

ful Improvements iii Handles, of which the following is a specification.'

This invention relates in generaly to handles and in particular to handles adapted o for use with portable hand-propelled machinos, such as suction-cleaners and the like.

For the most eicient operation of suction-cleaners of the hand-propelledA portable type, it is necessary that the normal operation of the machine, be freely pivoted to the same in order the handle, during to allow for the swinging motion of the arm of the operator. The handle must be capable of swinging to a practically horizontal position in order that the machine may be pushed under beds and other articles of furniture, and

also be able to assume a vertical position so that the machine may be stored in a minimum amount of space.

' During the operation of such a machine it is highly able to raise at will, for example,

to a rug or other like manner to lift ing moved from a proximatelyLk which the operator is,

desirable that the operator be the front end of the machine when going forward on floor covering, and in a the rear end when drawtherefore, is

cleaner or the like with capable of being freely at any point in its range of travel, able to control the machine.

chine during the Another object of my invention is to provide a suction cleaner or propellinghandle pivoted freely the like with a to the maoperation thereof, and lock itself relatively travel which it may happen to -be in.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated certain embodiments of my invention and in these characters refer to nut tlie same.

ydrawings like reference the same parts through- In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a suctioncleaner provided with a propelling handle constructed in acc tion;-

ordance with my inven- Figure 2 is an axial section of the handle; a part of Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line :1a-.r of Figure 2; Y

Figure 4 is an elevation of the upper end of the handle with the parts broken away on an axial plane;

Figure 5 is a detail view of the controlling link; i

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a suctioncleaner provided with a modied form of controlling handle;

Figure 7 is a medial section of a portion of the handle;

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line g/-y of Figure 7, and

Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the upper end of the handle. Y

Referring to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive of the drawings, I have illustrated therein a preferred embodiment of my invention comprising a suction-cleaner 10 of a well-known type, i form no part of my invention.

Pivotally connected to the suction-cleaner, preferably forward of the centerof gravit of the machine, as at 11, is a U-shape bail 12 provided with a socket-portion 13 adapted to receive the lower end of a hollow propelling and controlling handle 14, which is provided with a longitudinally-extending slot 15 at its lower end.

Pivotally mounted on the rear of the machine at 16 is a control-like 17 comprising a U-shaped portion 18 and a straight portion f of the screw-bolt 22. The cylindrical block 21 is slidably mounted in the interior of the hollow handle 14 and has secured thereto by means of the pin 23 an axially-located rod 24 extendin in the direction of the free end of the han le. ,i

In order to lock the sliding block 21 and the rod 24 against movement relative to the handle 14 I have secured to the interior of the handle at a point above the endof the slot 15, by means of screws 25, a cup-shaped member 26 having formed thereon a hookshaped lug 27 which engages in a slot 28 formed near the edge in a disc 29 made of hardened steel. This disc 29 is formed with a central aperture 30 somewhat greater in diameter than the rod 24 and whose edges are made square so as to bite into and clamp the rod 24 when the disc is held on a slant with respect thereto and to allow the rod to move freely therethrough when the disc is at right-angles to the same.

As it is desired to normally hold the rod 24 clamped or xedwith respect to the handle 14, a compression-spring 31 surrounding the rod 24 is placed between the disc 29 and the cup-shaped member which tends to force the disc into its locking position.

in order to withdraw the disc from the locking position, a wire or rod 32 is attached to the disc at a point 33 diametrically opposite to the slot 28. The other end of the wire or rod is secured to a nut 34 which is received in the closed end 35 of a sleeve 36, which telescopes over the tree end of the handle 14 and forms a hand grip for the operator.

lin order to secure a relative axial movement ot the sleeve and the handle, a pin and slot cam mechanism is used comprising a pin 37 rigidly ixed to the handle, and which projects into a slot 38 formed in the cylindrical Wall of the sleeve. This slot 38 has a pocket 39 at one end to provide means whereby the disc 29 may be held in the nonclamping position by locking the sleeve against rotation. rlhe other end of the slot is made suciently long to insure full reedom to the disc 29 in assuming its locking position under the influence of the compression-spring 31..

1n Figures 6 to 9 inclusive, l have illustrated a modified form of construction applied to a different form of suction-cleaner. As in the construction just described the handle-bail 13 is machine 10, preferably forward of the center of gravity of the machine, and receives the hollow handle 14.

To provide a hand grip for the operator, I employ an elbow-shaped member 40 having one end 41 reduced in cross-section to frictionally engage the interior wall of the free end of the handle 14, the other end of the same being closed by means of a plug 42. Slidably mounted 1n the handle is a rack-bar 43 provided with teeth 44 and having at one end a lug' 45 extending through the Slot 15 longitudinal grooves 46, adapted to receive and be' guided by the side-walls of the slot 15. In order to lock the rack-bar against movement relative to the handle, I have provided a awl' 47 normally held in engagement wit the teeth by means of a compression-spring 48. This spring 48 is positioned between the shoulder 49 formed on the pawl pivotally mounted on the and provided on each side withl and an' abutment 50 formed on a saddlemember 51 which is secured to the handle by means ot a rivet 52, and is provided with lugs 53 extending into the interior of the handle 14 through an aperture 54 formed in the walls thereof. The rivet 52 extends through the lugs 53 and forms a fulcrum about which the pawl 47 rotates.

in order to withdraw the pawl 47 from the teeth 44, l have mounted on a pin 55 ixedly secured in the grip-member 40, a lever 56 to which one end ot a wire or rod 57 is attached. the other end of this wire o1' rod being secured to the abutment 49 on th awl.

1n the modication illustrated 1n Figures 3 to 9 inclusive a' controlling-link in the form or a curved member 58 is provided, one end of which is pivotally connected to the lug 45, the other end being pivotally connected to the rear of the machine `as at 59.

ln the operation of the construction illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the operator grasps the sleeve 36 and rotates the same until the pin 37 reaches the pocket 39 in the slot 38. This rotation gives an axial movement to the sleeve 36 and the wire 32, which in turn causes the clamping-disc 29 to assume a position at right angles tothe rod 24. W ith the disc in this position the rod 24 and the block 21 are vfree to slide relatively to the handle as the same is moved in a vertical plane. When it is desired to lock the handle relative to the machine, the pin 37 is released from the pocket 39, whereupon the compression-spring 31 forces the clamping disc into its locking position. llt will be noted that the means -herein disclosed for locking the handle to the machine not only serves to enable the operator to control the machine with the handle in any position, but also enables the Ahandle to be locked in an upright position in order that the same may be stored.

ln the modification illustrated in Fi 6 to 9 inclusive, the ip-member 40 an the lever 56 are graspe and thereby forced together by the operator. This movement of the lever 56 causes the pawl 47 to disengage the teeth of the rack-bar, whereupon free sliding motion of the same relative to the handle is allowed. At any time it is desired to lock the handle relative to the machine, the lever 56 is released, whereupon the spring 48 forces the pawl 47 into engagement with the teeth, thereby locking the same. It will be noted that with this construction, accidental dropping of the handle with rthe attendant danger of breaking the same 1s obviated.

Iclaim:

1. A controlling handle for hand-propelled devices comprising a bail pivotally attached to the device and having a socket portion formed therein, ahollow handle member secured to the bail, a member slidebly .mounted in the interior of the handle, a link pivotally secured tothe device and to the slidable member, means mounted on the handle acting normally to lock the slidable member for all positions ot' the handle, and means adapted to hold said locking means in a non-locking position.

2. A controlling handle pelled devices comprising a bail pivotally attached to the device. a handle member secured to the bail.. a member slidably mounted on the handle, a link pivotally secured to the device and 'to the slidable member, means mounted on the handle acting` normally to lock the slidable member for all positions ot' the handle, and means adapted to hold said locking,lr means in a non-locking position.

3. in combination with hand propelled machines, means for controlling the same comprising a handle member pivoted to the machine, a link pivoted to the machine on an axis spaced from the pivot point ot the for hand-pro' handle, the link pivoted at its other end to a member slidable relative to the handle, lock means lookingA the link relative to the handle for all positions thereof and means rendering the lock means inoperative.

4. ln combination with a suction sweeper. means for propulsion thereof comprising a handle pivoted relatively to the sweeper, a link pivoted at one end to the sweeper on an axis spaced from the pivot point of the handle, means slidable relative to the handle adjacent one end thereof, means pivotally securing' the other end ot' the link to the slidable` means. lockingr means operative to secure the slidable `means to the handle member for all positions thereof and means adjacent the other end ot the handle rendering the locking means inoperative at will.

Signed at Chicago. in the county ot Cook and State of Illinois, this 1st day of June A. D. 1921.

ALBERT H. BATES. 

